/jS The Book of the Horse. 



Mr. Fraser Hore* gives the following description of the young onager. See Baker Pasha's 

 hunt, at page 26. 



"Its age at the present time (Oct., 1873) is about one year; its colour is a mixture of white 

 and fawn ; the under part of the body, the neck and chest, nose and nasal region, back part of 

 face, rump, channel, and inside of the legs, are white ; the mane is short, stumpy, and dark 

 brown. A dark dun streak of longish hair runs down the back, broadening towards the rump, 

 and continuing down the tail to the end. The other parts of the body and head are of a fawn- 

 colour, the entire coat being smooth and glossy; the tail has a small tuft of long dark brown 

 hair at the end. The legs are beautifully clean and flat, the back sinews standing well out ; 

 and there is a black, shiny, horny ergot high up inside each fore-leg; the feet are beautifully 

 formed, hard, and very small ; pasterns very long on fore-legs, rather upright on hind-legs. 

 Viewed from behind, her quarters and gaskins appear enormously large in proportion to the 

 size of the animal. She is a wonderful jumper, and tried an eight-foot wall, but did not get 

 over, having a log of wood tied to one of her hind-legs. The eyes are large, quite black, and 

 very expressive. The muzzle is small and black, the nostrils large and open. The ears are 

 long, outside light fawn-colour, inside covered with long white hair. Outside the knees and 

 hocks there are faint traces of three brown bars. The animal shows no indication of the cross, 

 or shoulder-stripe, found in other donkeys. She is at present over twelve hands high, but is not 

 yet full grown. 



"These animals have constantly been chivied on the Runn of Kutch for years past by parties 

 of officers on horseback, with spears ; but, with the solitary exception which I have above mentioned, 

 when a man named Elliott speared a jenny on the point of foaling, no wild donkey has ever been 

 run down until my friend Nutt got hold of this one. 



" This donkey was exhibited at the horse show in Poona, in September, and was looked upon 

 as the greatest curiosity and attraction there. She bites and kicks at every one that approaches 

 her but her own syce. It took a whole day to get her to stand steady, in order to take the 

 photographs I send you ; and at one time she lashed out with her hind-legs, and kicked the 

 photographer and his apparatus over. They say there is no possibility of ever taming her. You 

 will doubtless see her before long, and I am sure you will say she is one of the most beautiful 

 animals you have ever seen." 



When I visited the Gardens, in March, 1874, after reading the preceding description, I 

 found that the onager completely realised Captain Nutt's description ; with fine, clean, flat, 

 sinewy legs, and apparently as much strength and activity as a large antelope or red deer. 

 After examining its limbs, it was easy to understand that such an animal would outpace many 

 horses. The head, ears, neck, and tail, were those of a well-bred donkey in its summer coat, 

 but of a colour quite unique. This pretty creature, petted by the sailors, became tame on the 

 voyage. Mr. Bartlett, the Superintendent of the Gardens, received news of its arrival at 

 Southampton, and expected to be informed of its despatch in time to meet it on the railroad ; 

 but about nine o'clock in the evening of the same day, the bell of the Superintendent's house 

 was rung violently, and on going out a tall stout man was there, holding some animal. 

 ■'What have you got there.'" asked Mr. Bartlett. "Well, I thought it was a donkey, but it 

 has turned out a dreadful wild beast." It seems that when it was taken out of the horse-bo.x 

 at Waterloo Station, it was so docile that it was thought to be a tame Indian donkey, and 

 a man accustomed to leading thoroughbred colts and entire horses undertook to lead it to 



• Communic.iloil by Mi'. Sutlicrlaixl to The Field. 



